Chapter 7 — Throwing the Ball Through the Rain

On Thursday afternoon, Ms. Hanh opened the filing cabinet in front of the whole team. There was no treasure inside, only old lesson plans, a few tapes, a handwritten scorecard and a box of yellowed envelopes. Nhien took the match schedule and placed it next to a final match record. The school's girls' team name is on the left, the opponent's name is on the right. On the last line, the score is corrected in red ink but without the referee's signature.

Bap bowed closely and spoke with correct strokes like the letters on the electronic scoreboard. Phong reminded him not to draw conclusions from the handwriting. An looked at Ms. Hanh. She opened the envelope and took out a letter from a former student named Thu Ha. The letter said that she had received a technical error at the last minute, although no one told her what the error was. The team lost by one point and she was banned from playing for the entire following season. There were no accusations, only questions sent to the school board that never received a response.

After reading, Nhien's knees hurt but she did not sit. She asked where Thu Ha was now. Ms. Hanh said Ha lives in another town and has not contacted the school for many years. Finding someone just for the sake of knowing their past can become intrusive. An recommends sending letters to the address in the file, asking permission before asking. Ms. Hanh agrees, but the letter must be signed by her and does not promise results.

Mai Chi asked why the team needed old stories to keep the field. Ms. Hanh replied that the yard is not a museum, but when people decide its fate, they need to know who that place once served. Bap raised his hand, asking to film a clip for the file. Nhien asked Ms. Hanh, Ms. Hanh asked the whole team. In the end, they just opened the envelope with their hands, without giving the full name and without posting the letter online.

The training session that followed was more intense than usual. Nhien doesn't run much, so she has to teach tactics from the outside. An is confused when receiving hand signals. Mai Chi was angry because everyone changed positions so slowly. Vy tried to lighten the mood by calling the diagram "fish caught in the rain", but no one laughed. Ms. Hanh stopped them and asked each person to say something they were afraid of.

Mai Chi is afraid that the team will affect her studies. Vy was afraid that because she was the youngest, she wouldn't be trusted. Bap was afraid of filming the whole season without anyone watching. Phong is afraid that the yard has been repaired but no one is responsible anymore. Nhien is afraid that if she leaves the field due to injury, the team will think she betrayed her. An finally said she was afraid of being the one to ruin the match again.

Ms. Hanh said fear is not a strategy, but must be placed on the table before playing. They set up rules: report mistakes, say so when hurts, don't use other people's videos without asking, and don't let one person represent the whole team. Nhien wrote the last rule on the board. An looked at the text and saw that the team began to have its own way of playing.

After writing the rules, they tried a strange exercise: each person had to name one mistake they had made in a friendly match. Mai Chi admitted that she forgot Vy in Bap. Vy said she didn't report when her shoes were slippery. Bap said he turned too close to the person who was in pain. Phong said he checked the scoreboard but forgot to check the speaker wire. Nhien said she stayed on the field even though her knee was not okay, making everyone think that enduring the pain was something to be proud of.

An said she had been looking at the scoreboard for too long, and if the friendly match had been an official match, she might have forgotten the defender. Ms. Hanh asked each person to come up with something to correct, not just admit their mistakes. Mai Chi made a signal diagram, Vy put on spare shoes, Bap posted the no-turn zone, Phong made an equipment checklist, Nhien signed up for recovery. An accepted the job of checking the empty person before looking at the basketball rim.

The rule sheet is attached to the warehouse door with tape that does not peel off the paint. A sixth grader read the section "don't use other people's videos without asking" and asked what to do if you accidentally recorded it. Bap said he had to report, delete the copy and apologize. You asked if there would be a fine. Tran replied that the solution depends on the situation, but hiding the problem does not make the error disappear. An finds that answer more fair than a penalty number.

In the afternoon, the team held an open practice session. There was a little girl who wanted to play but was shy because she was shorter than her friends. Vy gave me the ball and showed me how to pass close to the floor. The girl dropped it three times, the fourth time the ball went to Mai Chi. Mai Chi passed it back, but did not score. The little girl ran after the ball, smiling. Nhien wrote my name on the list of participants but did not turn away.

Phong checked the gate and realized that the hinges made a noise every time it was opened. He checked the oil and posted an inspection schedule. Bap said a gate also has a schedule, but you don't have one yet. Tran gave him a personal calendar template. An saw the little things that are connecting to a team that is more than just running and throwing.

After practice, the team held a test call with the school mailbox. Tran sent a fake question, Phong checked the recipient, Bap checked the automatic notification. One response line shows the sender's name in the header. I edited the settings to only show the code. Ms. Hanh asked if anyone needed to see the data. Tran said only the person in charge and the authorized person. An realized that security is not just the job of people who are good at computers.

Thu Ha sent a message that she had read the summary and wanted the team not to look for more people in old photos. Nhien replied immediately, confirming they would stop it. Bap erased the former player name search board he had set up, keeping a record that the request had been processed. He said deleting information is more difficult than collecting it, because you have to make sure there are no copies left. Tran instructed him to check his junk folder and offline copies.

Mai Chi suggested using the opening day to try out the young referee class. Ms. Hanh agrees if there is adult supervision. Vy asked the referee if he could throw the ball. Mai Chi said that when time is up, anyone can play. A sixth grader was the referee, blew the whistle a little too early, then stopped the game himself to ask questions. The team applauds because you noticed.

Phong replaced the old sign with the word "no entry" with a sign "only enter when someone is on duty". An asked where the difference was. Phong said the new sign does not consider people dangerous, only stating the conditions for safe entry. Bap took the board but asked the person standing next to him first. That person didn't want to appear, so he changed the angle.

That night, An called Nhien and asked if she was still afraid that the team would break up. Nhien said yes, but fear now has a schedule and someone in charge. An laughed and said her fear was also called "throwing the city". Nhien Bao can be renamed "next ball". An wrote that down in her notebook and did not use it as a slogan.

Tomorrow, the team will open the old file. The whole group agreed not to bring phones into storage, only using school phones when needed. An finds that rule slow, but no one has to guess who is saving what. She locked the gate, checked the hinges, then placed the key in the correct compartment.

That night, An dreamed that the yard turned into a parking lot, but the painted lines were still under the wheels. In the dream, she lifted a ball and heard a whistle from inside. She woke up before she knew who was blowing. Mom saw the room light on and asked if she needed a drink of water. An told her about her dream, and her mother said that memories often use easy-to-understand images to remind her of important things.

In the morning, An wrote down the dream in the notebook but marked it as emotion, not information. She didn't want to turn everything into a clue. Tran read it and said that's why they have the "unknown things" column. Bap asked if he could record the dream in a video. An said no if it made the audience think there was supernatural evidence. Bap agreed, then drew a small cloud in Bap of the window.

Before opening the warehouse, Ms. Hanh reminded everyone that they could leave at any time. Nhien holds the list, Mai Chi holds the pen, Phong holds the key, and Bap holds the paper box. An did not pick up the phone. They entered as a team, not as a story hunting group. The old cabinet door made a sound, but no one was startled.

An took a breath, placed her hand on the edge of the cabinet and waited for Ms. Hanh to nod. The things in there don't run away; Readers may slow down.

The first page in the locker is a equipment list, not battle records. Bap was disappointed, but An found it useful: former players recorded the ball number, the condition of the net and the date of repair. The team's existence is woven from such less dramatic lines.

In the lower compartment, they found a box of tape bearing the names of the previous locks. Each roll has a color and a short note: use for ankles, use for hands holding the ball, do not use when wet. Nhien sat down and read each label, then asked Ms. Hanh if she could turn that list into instructions for sixth grade. Ms. Hanh agreed but asked the students to try their own writing. An wrote the first sentence too long, Bap shortened it to one line, and Huyen suggested adding a drawing. The instruction sheet was starting to take on the shape of something someone could actually use.

Before closing the cabinet, An took inventory again. A balloon was missing a needle, three reflective vests were intact, and a notebook had damp corners. She stated clearly instead of hiding it. Phong said missing one item doesn't make them any worse; Not knowing what you lack is dangerous. An underlined that sentence in her notebook, not as a slogan, but so that next time she would remember to check from the beginning.